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Dr Alex George has revealed that more than 150 days without alcohol has been “a challenge” but has made a “huge difference” to his life. The former Love Island star, TV doctor and now the UK government’s youth mental health ambassador shared that drinking at weekends would sometimes affect him for up to four days afterwards. The 32-year-old quit his A&E doctor job 18 months ago to focus on bringing the public accessible health advice, often on TV – including Channel 4’s Naked Education – and five months ago, he cut out booze too. “It’s made a really huge difference,” George says. “I get to bed at 9pm every night, I wake up at 6am, I listen to music, I play music, I go to the gym, I spend quality time with a small number of people – I’ve developed really, really strong boundaries about how I spend my time and who I spend it with.” It’s an “investment” in himself, he says, but it isn’t always easy. “When you’ve got a bank holiday weekend and a lot people are sat in a beer garden – that is a challenge. Because even if you’re not addicted to alcohol, and you’re just a part of the British culture, you’ll feel challenges of not drinking in those times. “But it’s looking at what will future Alex be grateful for – you know, that delayed gratification.” It’s a topic he explores in his latest book, The Mind Manual, on the mental fitness foundations to give us all a boost – just in time for Mental Health Awareness Week (May 15-21) – including how to hold better boundaries and why mistakes are part of life. “I didn’t like how alcohol made me feel,” George, who also hosts the walking and wellness podcast Stompcast, says. “I was drinking pretty standard-ish for a young person in their 30s, but after four, five or six beers on a Saturday night, I’d feel bad – that would affect me a small percentage [of the time] all the way up to Tuesday or Wednesday.” “It affected my desire for the gym, it affected the way I ate, it affected the relationship I had with myself – so I had a really honest conversation with myself.” His book is about asking people to challenge things: “Question why are you doing this behaviour?” During some self-reflection when he was still working in A&E, George says he realised he wasn’t practising what he preached. “I thought, ‘I’m here talking about finding balance and looking after your own mental health, and I’m actually damaging my own mental health by doing too much.” Self-worth is often so tied up with the roles we have in our careers, so it was a difficult decision to leave, he says. “Since the age of 12 or 13, I’d wanted to be a doctor. You sacrifice a lot, university is tough, I worked in King’s College Hospital then Lewisham Hospital [London]. It was my passion, I covered a lot of the pandemic – on social media, it was my identity. “But I think sometimes, it’s really, really important to remember that just because your identity is a part of your life, it doesn’t have to be your identity your whole life. Walking away or changing direction [doesn’t mean] that time of your life is now devalued. “Even though I am not ‘Alex the A&E doctor’ anymore, it is all ingrained in who I am.” He’s had a significant impact as a public health doctor though, securing £79million of funding towards mental health support teams in schools in 2021. He’s thankful for the platform Love Island fame afforded. “Of course, if it wasn’t for that show, I wouldn’t have got that [money] for the kids.” He also started the #postyourpill campaign on social media – trying to banish the stigma around taking medication for mental health issues, like the anti-depressants he was prescribed last year. He’s also tirelessly campaigned for suicide prevention awareness and better early intervention for people with mental health issues, after his 19-year-old brother Llyr died by suicide in 2020. Heartbreakingly, George had been due to go home to Carmarthen, Wales, to see his family for the first time since the pandemic. “The week before my brother passed away, my best friend’s dad was terminally unwell and I stayed in London. In that time that I stayed, my brother passed away, so I could have seen him. “You question whether that’s a mistake or not. It’s very complex, because you don’t see the bigger picture always. [If] you know that a decision would have a certain outcome and it was a negative outcome, you wouldn’t make that decision a lot of the time. “I think that’s probably one of the biggest ones that I’ll have to live with.” Now though, George says he’s received “thousands – if not tens of thousands – of messages” and comments in person from strangers struggling in a similar way to Llyr, but saying they’ve now got help. “How many lives have been saved off the back of Llyr’s death? There’s an element of, ‘What can we control?’ I can’t turn back time, all I can do is try and support other people with their mental health.” The book discusses the ‘mental health toolkit’ George developed while he was grieving and growing – “Not just as a tribute to Llyr but as a tribute to the mental anguish I have faced in life, both before and since his death”. It includes written exercises to help readers audit their feelings as well as ‘universal truths’ to cling to in dark times, like “sleep is a saviour” and “connection is your superpower”. He adds: “Grief is with us for life. It’s never OK that person has died.” But we can find ways to “organise” that grief in our minds. Plus, difficult times are key for personal growth. “Sometimes, you have to walk through hell,” he says, “It sounds really dark, but in some ways, through difficult experiences, you learn a lot by yourself. You will know your resilience and your ability to cope with things. You also learn what helps you cope.” For George, that means walking (“a lifeline for me”), a few close friends and hiit classes at the gym. “In the last few years, there have been some significant highs and lows, but I do think what I’m grateful for is that in adversity, you learn a huge amount. I endured.” The Mind Manual by Dr Alex George is published by Aster, £20. Available now in paperback, and also as an ebook and audiobook. The Samaritans helpline is available 24/7 on 116 123. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Everything you need to know about Sophie, the new Duchess of Edinburgh Beyonce kicks of Renaissance tour in string of glamorous outfits Pensioner, 85, shares the simple switch that’s helped him to do 650,000 press-ups

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David and Victoria Beckham have celebrated their daughter Harper’s 12th birthday a couple of days earlier with a party at the Prada Caffè in Harrods. The couple’s only daughter will turn a year older on Monday 10 July. She wore a silk lilac slip dress with lace trim from Victoria’s label, with sporty trainers and a sparkly £950 Prada Re-Edition handbag. The proud designer shared snaps from the party on her Instagram account, including a snap of her and Harper with their arms around one another, as well as the birthday girl with her famous footballer father and brothers Romeo and Cruz. Victoria wrote in the caption: “Harper Seven is 12!! (almost) Prada party for Harper Seven CHIC!” Harper was also pictured beaming with a large personalised cake in front of her, with 12 tall white candles waiting to be blown out. Fans praised Harper for her style and wished her a happy birthday. “You can just tell that she’s a genuine good kid! Happy birthday Harper!” one person wrote. Another said: “She’s so tall now! What a lovely young lady she’s become.” The luxurious Prada Caffè features pistachio-coloured walls and interiors, with black-and-white checkerboard floors and marble tables. The themed café opened in March and promises to bring a taste of Milan to Harrods. It comes after Victoria and David marked their 24th wedding anniversary last week with three of their four children. Their eldest son Brooklyn lives in the US with his wife, Nicola Peltz. The couple married on 4 July 1999 in a ceremony at Ireland’s Luttrellstown Castle. They paid tribute to one another on social media by posting throwback photographs of each other and sharing sweet messages. Victoria previously described Harper as her “number one muse” and has created designs especially for her. In January, she shared a mirror selfie of her and Harper, with the then-11-year-old in a strapless ombre gown and sneakers. She wrote: “Mummy loved creating this dress for you.” However, Harper doesn’t always share her former pop star mother’s sartorial tastes. Last year, Victoria revealed just what her daughter thought of the Spice Girls’ iconic miniskirts. Speaking to Vogue Australia, the Spice Girl formerly known as Posh Spice said her daughter is “not one of these kids who are going out with a full face of make-up and a crop top”. “She actually said to me recently, ‘Mummy, I’ve seen some pictures of you when you were in the Spice Girls and your skirts were just unacceptable. They were just too short,” Victoria recalled. “And she was actually quite disgusted at how short my skirts were. “I said, ‘Are you never going to wear skirts like that?’ She said, ‘Absolutely not’. We’ll see.” In the same interview Victoria revealed that she was concerned that Harper will be subjected to body shaming when she is old enough to use social media. She said that her daughter was not allowed on social media yet, but she was concerned about “how cruel people can be”. “She’s at that age where her body is going to start changing, but it’s about making sure that we communicate a lot as a family and she surrounds herself with nice friends,” Victoria said. “But it is quite terrifying, I can’t lie.” Read More Conflict, toxic group chats and organised fun: How we came to despise the hen do Woman exits plane after tirade about passenger who is ‘not real’: ‘Final Destination vibes’ Who is in the Royal Box on the sixth day of Wimbledon? David Beckham pays tribute to Victoria on 24th wedding anniversary Every Barbie-inspired outfit Margot Robbie has worn so far How to make your summer tan last longer

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Mercedes have parted company with technical chief Mike Elliott following the team’s failure to win a single race this season. James Allison returned as Mercedes’ technical director just three races into the new season – with Elliott moving into the chief technical officer role. Although Mercedes said the job swap was Elliott’s decision, the announcement arrived after Lewis Hamilton and team principal Toto Wolff criticised the design philosophy of this year’s car on the eve of the curtain raiser in Bahrain on March 5. The Silver Arrows, who claimed a record eight consecutive constructors’ championships and carried Hamilton to six world titles, have won only one race in the past two years. And ahead of this weekend’s round in Brazil – with only races in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi to follow this year – Mercedes said Elliott is departing the team. “Mike has been one of the pillars of the team’s achievements over the past decade,” said Wolff. “It’s with truly mixed feelings that we say goodbye to him today. “Mike is a fiercely intelligent technical brain and a great team player. He has made a strong contribution not just to winning racing cars but also to building the culture of our team. “But on the other side, it’s clear that he’s ready for new adventures beyond Mercedes – so I know this is the right step for him to take, too. “He leaves the team today with our thanks for the effort, commitment and expertise he has brought to the team over the past 11 years and our very best wishes for the future.” Hamilton finished a distant runner-up to Verstappen in Mexico last weekend, with the Dutchman winning a record 16 of the 19 races so far in his all-conquering Red Bull machine. It is nearly two years since Hamilton, who will remain alongside George Russell at Mercedes until at least the end of 2025, won a race. Elliott, who is now set for a period of gardening leave, said: “Although the last two seasons have not seen us winning races in the manner we aspire to, they have tested us in many other ways – and forced us to question our fundamental assumptions about how we deliver performance. “During the past six months, I have enjoyed developing the technical strategy that we hope can provide the foundations of the team’s next cycle of success. “I have decided that now is the right time to make my next step beyond Mercedes – first to pause and take stock, after 23 years of working flat-out in this sport, and then to find my next challenge.” Read More Charles Leclerc secures pole position for the Mexican Grand Prix Charles Leclerc leads Ferrari front row at Mexican Grand Prix Essex boy with Italian twang – History-maker Ollie Bearman impresses in Mexico Max Verstappen sets fastest time in Mexican Grand Prix practice Max Verstappen urges fans to show him respect ahead of feisty Mexican Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton claims many more cars were illegal at United States Grand Prix